Taking buprenorphine for opioid use disorder may up other med compliance

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August 21, 2019

(HealthDay)—Using buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) may increase adherence to treatments for other chronic conditions, according to a study published in the September issue of Medical Care.

Hsien-Yen Chang, Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues used Truven Health’s MarketScan data to identify 12,719 commercially insured individuals with a diagnosis of OUD and buprenorphine initiation between January 2011 and June 2015. The authors assessed the effect of buprenorphine treatment on patient adherence to five therapeutic classes: antilipids, antipsychotics, antiepileptics, antidiabetics, and antidepressants.

The researchers found that across the five therapeutic classes, the probability a given treatment was on hand was always higher on days when buprenorphine was on hand. Buprenorphine was associated with a greater odds of adherence to antilipids (odds ratio [OR], 1.27), antiepileptics (OR, 1.22), and antidepressants (OR, 1.42) when adjusting for demographics, morbidity, and baseline adherence.

“Using buprenorphine to treat OUD may increase adherence to treatments for chronic unrelated conditions, a finding of particular importance given high rates of mental illness and other comorbidities among many individuals with OUD,” the authors write.